Care is the inaugural exhibition of the Geneva Center for the Arts, featuring the works of Karen Azarnia, Brenda Barnum, and Cydney M. Lewis. References to plant life and growth are a common thread in their multifaceted paintings and constructions. The art in Care shares the vision of the Center and its new exhibition space, conceptualizing the necessity for connections and conversation in addressing issues of the present, moving forward into the future.
Karen Azarnia’s quiet paintings capture moments in time while reflecting on current societal topics. Her large paintings play with the passage of sunlight from the gallery windows.
Brenda Barnum’s oil paintings hover between menacing abstractions, animated flowers, and quirky humans. Barnum’s confident brushwork and color palette create beautifully inspired characters.
Cydney M. Lewis’s plant-like constructions give life to repurposed plastic shopping bags otherwise headed to the landfill. Her contemplative multi-media paintings combine sewing, painting, and collage of various materials including hair, fabric, and beads.